18 



THE DAHLIA. 



In connection with the above 

 classification, it may be well to 

 call attention to the particular 

 wording. The classes are de- 

 scribed and defined by typical ex- 

 amples; but it is not safe to go 

 indiscriminately by names, as 

 many varieties vary at times. 

 Therefore it is well in entering 

 at exhibitions to remember that 

 name alone will not carry a vari- 

 ety through, but the flower must 

 conform to the standard of that 

 class, and any flower that does 

 conform to that class should be 

 eligible. 



Then there are the many 

 other types that will undoubtedly 

 be taken care of in the future. 

 For instance, there has been a 

 general idea that all open cen- 

 tered flowers are Paeony-flower- 



ing. It would be a mistake to 



NEW WHITE SHOW DAHLIA, ETHEL M.\ULE , .it u ( 



make a separate class for each ot 



these types, as much as it was a mistake to an open-center type Pseony flowered, as the general 



conception of the Paeony is a fully double flower, and the near future will show the ideal, 



perfectly full or double Pseony Dahlia. This type is already in existence with a 'row long, 



broad rays or petals and the shorter more irregular center petals. 



It would seem, therefore, that in the future the present classes would be subdivided into 



sections in order to encourage the development of distinctively new, novel or unique types, as 



well as the development of the existing classes. 



SWEET-SCEXTED DAHLIAS. 



This is a fi^ld that offers great oppor- 

 tunity. Twentieth Century and Fringed Twen- 

 tieth Century are notable examples, and there 

 are many other varieties that are more or less 

 fragrant. The great trouble is that breeders 

 look for distinctive flowers of large size, fine 

 form, etc., while as a matter of fact the only 

 clove-scented Dahlias the writer has seen were 

 nondescript blooms in the different ball and 

 single classes. 



The American Dahlia Society has done 

 wonderfully well since its reorganization, and 

 the near future will undoubtedly see a yearly 

 price for the most distinctive new variety of 

 the year as well as the best, as within these 

 two lines depend the interest and future popu- 

 larity of the Dahlia. 



DAHLIA, VIRGINIA MAULE 



